Something White’s Boutique Bridal Bazaar

When my lovely friend Amanda allowed me the opportunity to take her place at the Boutique Bridal Bazaar hosted by Something White, my first thought was, “Well, I guess I SHOULD probably start planning my wedding…”

My wonderful fiancé asked me to make it street legal in September, after 5+ years of happily dating and cohabitating.  I tend to err on the side of “if it ain’t broke…” but in this case, I was very excited that we decided to take this next step together.

That being said, the wedding planning scene is daunting. I didn’t know where to start or who to ask, and the internet, in this state of confusion, is not your friend. So, upon reading Amanda’s post about the Something White event, I thought, “This is it… professional help!”

Ali (left-center) with her friends at Boutique Bridal Bazaar

Accompanied by my three of my best friends (who are way better at this stuff), I went on Sunday, January 12 to the Tudor Arms Hotel, on the near east side.  For as many times as I’ve driven by, I had never been inside. I knew it was a historic Cleveland landmark, and that it had recently undergone a bit of a make-over, but I was still really surprised by the inside of the building.

It was really stunning, with huge ceilings (35 feet!), beautiful murals on the walls, lots of big, open spaces in the two separate ballrooms, and amazing windows that let in such wonderful natural light. It is a gorgeous space, and my friends immediately decided that I shall be getting married there, no questions asked.

When we talked to Michelle from Tudor Arms, she did tell us that they were already booked most of the summer and fall, with few Fridays and no Saturdays until November. Timeliness is key if you want a space like this, and since timeliness is my Achilles heel, we’ll see if that will actually work out for me.

Inside the Tudor Arms Hotel

The first thing we saw when we walked in was the “Etsy aisle”, which was basically Etsy sellers, bringing in all of their wares to see in real life. This was great for me, because although from time to time I am the epitome of the “Pinterest Fails” board, I am fairly crafty.

So while I will continue to buy lip gloss from professionals and not make my own everything, I did want a (semi) DIY approach to our fiesta, for a couple of reasons: 1) cost and 2) you only get to do this once, so might as well get down and dirty with it.  So, the Etsy aisle at the event was super awesome, because you couldn’t help but find cool inspiration.

Paper bouquets

The vendors ranged from calligraphy from Seaworthi Calligraphy & Illustration or beautiful paper flowers from Rose Gold Studio (along with a whole range of custom design options!).  And when talking with some of the sellers, they said that they are always glad to do custom work. Double bonus – small biz + local vendor = sweet deal.

The amount of culinary vendors there was honestly shocking, and incredibly filling (so much for that wedding diet…), but everything we tried was amazing, from the vegan cupcakes at Vegan Sweet Tooth or the mushroom risotto from Gatherings Kitchen.

If you are able to choose your own caterer once you find a venue, there is no shortage of amazing local chefs to make your wedding day snacks memorable.  Many of them were advocates of local and sustainable products, and embraced gluten free, vegan and vegetarian diets, which means all of your guests will have a delicious meal (because let’s be honest, the vegetarian options at most events are pretty sad indeed).

Packed house at Boutique Bridal Bazaar

Finally – my two favorite places to pop by (hah!) were the Chill Pop Shop stand, and Urban Orchid florist.  At Chill Pop, they came up with these awesome flavors that include everything from avocado to all the usual suspects (I had strawberry cream), but they also make these “poptails” – i.e. your popsicle would be in a drink!

I worked in Brazil for a spell, and had a caipirinha made with a fresh pineapple popsicle that I sometimes still have dreams about. And now, right here, in good ole Cleveland, my dreams can come true! These would be adorable for showers, rehearsal dinners, or dessert on your big day, and it was such a fun idea – little artisan popsicles served in, for example, a little glass of champagne!  Be still my heart.

And if you need flowers, whether it’s just boutonnieres or the whole shebang, Brandon Sitler at Urban Orchid is your guy.  Mixing succulents, fresh flowers, plants and whatever you can dream up, I’ve never been disappointed by anything he’s done, for me or for others.

Beautiful flowers at the Boutique Bridal Bazaar

Located in Ohio City, he is a great addition to the neighborhood.  You could smell the fresh flowers from his stand from 20 feet away, and while I know flowers can be a large expense for your wedding day, I can’t imagine not having a fresh bouquet (although all the paper bouquets I saw were super cute too).

All in all – it was a great, somewhat overwhelming day, full of delicious snacks, beautiful inspiration and lots of happy brides. LOTS.  Much thanks to Something White Bridal and to Amanda for kicking me into gear and helping me get started to plan our big day.  There’s a poptail with your name on it.

Disclosure: I was offered one ticket to Boutique Bridal Bazaar in exchange for blogging about it. Because I was out of town attending my sister-in-law’s wedding, I was unable to attend. My friend Ali attended it instead. Her and my opinions are 100% our own.

The happy – and newly married! – couple

On Saturday morning, Scott and I woke up early, got dolled up in our dress and suit, and headed out to the eastside for “the wedding of the century.” Sorry, Duchess Kate, I’m talking about @WhyCLE and @TheRealCLEGuy!

The day was filled with a very lovely, spiritual ceremony in the morning at St. John Vianney, with a reception later that evening at Landerhaven.

In between, Scott and I had lunch at the Willoughby Brewing Company for the first time with Teams Poise in Parma and Smitten in CLE, checked out the very unique wonders at Downtown Willoughby’s Cabinet of Curiousities and enjoyed a wine tasting with Cooker Girl, her husband and Eat Drink Cleveland.

The ladies celebrating after the ceremony

We rolled back into our driveway around 1am on Sunday morning after a crazy day filled with so much love and fun.

Landerhaven Executive Caterers really impressed – from the cocktail hour on the patio (Scott couldn’t get enough of the coconut chicken) to the grandness of the aptly named Grand Ballroom and the dinner they provided (it’s hard to choose but I think the mushroom/potato cake was my favorite of the many dishes).

I was probably most impressed, though, by the dancing skills of my fellow bloggers in attendance –  in addition to Smitten, PiP, EatDrinkCleveland and Cooker Girl, it was great partying with Wearing Mascara, Cleveland Food and Brews (who’s about to get married himself!), Miss WineOH and Lane Baldwin Photography.

This was taken after one of many marathon dance sessions — time to re-hydrate!

Scott’s and my “fierce” dancing skills  (I’m saying this with complete sarcasm) were nothing compared to many of theirs.  Seriously, there could have been (and should be) a Blogger Dance Off!  My money would be on Cooker Girl or @Hansmatic (it’s always the quiet ones who bust the best moves!).

The best part of the wedding, though, wasn’t the food or the entertainment. This was #6 of 7 weddings Scott and I have attended since October, and my favorite part about all of the ceremonies is seeing how each couple expresses their love uniquely.  It was a delight to share in Jen and Matt’s day and celebrate a truly compatible couple continuing their journey together.

Reception fabulousness with Julie, Kimberly and Alicia

Now that the wedding is over, the Romes (so awesome to finally say that!) are going on a much needed vacation, but WhyCLE’s not.  For the next two weeks, head on over and enjoy guest posts on Cleveland boutiques, food, running and a bevy of other topics.

I’m proud to be kicking things off with a spotlight on a great local organization – Global Cleveland.  After attending their newcomer and boomerang happy hour a couple of weeks ago, I knew they’d be the perfect subject for my guest post.

So head on over to Why? Global Cleveland! and learn more about how you can get engaged in this worthwhile initiative focused on building the region’s resources and talent, while fostering a community that is welcoming to all.

Why do I love Cleveland? Check out one of the reasons over at WhyCLE today!

Whether you’re a newcomer looking for employment and other Clevelanders to meet, a boomerang returning home to CLE, a local company looking to expand or someone interested in contributing their time and talent, there are many program available.

Congratulations again to the new Mr. and Mrs. Rome!